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EAT: Make Mine Macaroons!

When I laid eyes on this past month’s Martha Stewart Living; I knew exactly that this was an edible project too good to pass up. I have a secret obsession with macaroons, they are my guilty pleasure. And, if I pass a store from New York to London to Paris to Istanbul that sells these divine treats, I simply must stop in {yes, I’ve dined on macaroons in each of those cities!}!

Now, while Martha is every bit the domestic goddess we all love her to be, her claims for “simplicity” or “ease” are somewhat never true in my opinion. I rarely embark on her recipes simply because they are a bit fussy for my style or call for some ingredient that takes trips to at least 3 different stores to procure (ain’t nobody got time for that …). But, the promise of homemade macaroons … “gorgeous” ones at that were all too tempting to give it a whirl.

My summary report … bravo, Ms. Martha, bravo! These were every bit as easy, as low cost and delish as the pages of your magazine claimed!

My first attempt was a basic almond cookie with nutella filling. Simply yum! I may or may not have eaten several of these myself and claimed it was just a “small batch” when questioned by others. I’ve already procured rose water and lavender (insert fussy ingredients I already complained about above) for my next attempt.

Sift the dry ingredients from food processor through a fine sieve. If lumps persist, regrind until the remaining “lumps” are less than 2 tablespoons.

Whisk the egg whites and sugar by and to combine. Beat on medium for 2 minutes, then increase speed for an additional 2 minutes and increase a second time for 2 more minutes (total of 6 min).

Once stiff peaks form in the egg white meringue, add any flavoring of your choice. Beat an additional 30 seconds to incorporate.

Fold the almond mixture into the meringue using a spatula to fold from bottom upward; 35-40 stokes.

Fill a piping bag with the cookie mixture.

Line a baking sheet with parchment. Pipe round 3/4 inch circles and swirl the tip off to one side. (((You are trying to create as flat as possible dots). Space approx. 1 inch apart. Tap sheet of cookies on a counter to release any air bubbles prior to baking.

1 1/2 oz chopped bittersweet chocolate (Note: I used milk chocolate and more of it!)

3 tablespoons Nutella

1/2 tablespoon unsalted butter

To make filling:

Heat the cream until bubbles begin to form.

Add the chocolate and butter until incorporated.

Stir in Nutella.

Let cool until it thickens.

Now that you have your cookies and filling, you simply pipe (or spread) a dab of the filling between two cookies. Cookies should be refrigerated and are best if eaten within about 2-3 days of making (if they last that long!).

I’m going all out on the next batch! Lavender and rose pink cookies with a raspberry filling … hmmm… that could be interesting! Heck, given that I would normally pay $2.50 PER cookie at least, I can afford to get a little fancy and creative with these!